Police promise day of action over parking in High Street
Wednesday, 26th September 2012.
A day of action by police to crack down on illegal parking in Haverhill High Street is being planned for next Monday.
The town'spolice chief, Insp Peter Ferrie told Haverhill Town Councillors at their meeting last night that this was one of several measures he would be taking in answer to the issue being retained as a police priority at a public meeting recently.
Insp Ferrie said he planned four action days, the first being on Monday when all eight Safer Neighbourhood Team officers would be 'marching up and down the street issuing tickets right and left'.
The other three action days would not be announced in advance and would involve Insp Ferrie and others in plain clothes monitoring the street to see if the first day of action had made a difference.
Insp Ferrie said he would eat his hat if it did and re-iterated his view there was no action police could take alone to solve the problem.
He had made it clear at the public meeting that he was reluctant to accept it as a police priority again, but was given no choice by the strength of feeling shown.
He said he had put the issue in the hands of 'the best problem-solver' in his team, PC Will Wright, who had authority to implement whatever was needed.
"I have given him free rein to solve it," he said.
Earlier Insp Ferrie had reported on a continuing downward trend in Haverhill's crime figures which, he said, made for a 'good story'.
Total crime for the period was 862, compared with a three-year average of 999, domestic burglary down from 27 to 18, other burglary from 78 to 45, criminal ndamage and arson down from 284 to 217 and anti-social behaviour down from 975 to 643, within which rowdy and inconsiderate incidents were down from 489 to 372.
There were increases in non-injury violence from 66 to 81, in sexual offences from 13 to 18 and in public order offences from 45 to 56.
The public order figures had come about because most town centre revellers now went to just one premises, Bar Vu, and police could wait outside and collect those turfed out.
Many of the reported sexual offences were matters where people had come forward about incidents many years ago, so Insp Ferrie said that was not an immediate concern.
The increase in violence without injury was almost the same as decrease in violence with injury, so Insp Ferrie speculated it represented a similar number of incidents but fewer people injured.
He said the number of people out in the town centre in the evenings at the weekend had reduced considerably.
The town'spolice chief, Insp Peter Ferrie told Haverhill Town Councillors at their meeting last night that this was one of several measures he would be taking in answer to the issue being retained as a police priority at a public meeting recently.
Insp Ferrie said he planned four action days, the first being on Monday when all eight Safer Neighbourhood Team officers would be 'marching up and down the street issuing tickets right and left'.
The other three action days would not be announced in advance and would involve Insp Ferrie and others in plain clothes monitoring the street to see if the first day of action had made a difference.
Insp Ferrie said he would eat his hat if it did and re-iterated his view there was no action police could take alone to solve the problem.
He had made it clear at the public meeting that he was reluctant to accept it as a police priority again, but was given no choice by the strength of feeling shown.
He said he had put the issue in the hands of 'the best problem-solver' in his team, PC Will Wright, who had authority to implement whatever was needed.
"I have given him free rein to solve it," he said.
Earlier Insp Ferrie had reported on a continuing downward trend in Haverhill's crime figures which, he said, made for a 'good story'.
Total crime for the period was 862, compared with a three-year average of 999, domestic burglary down from 27 to 18, other burglary from 78 to 45, criminal ndamage and arson down from 284 to 217 and anti-social behaviour down from 975 to 643, within which rowdy and inconsiderate incidents were down from 489 to 372.
There were increases in non-injury violence from 66 to 81, in sexual offences from 13 to 18 and in public order offences from 45 to 56.
The public order figures had come about because most town centre revellers now went to just one premises, Bar Vu, and police could wait outside and collect those turfed out.
Many of the reported sexual offences were matters where people had come forward about incidents many years ago, so Insp Ferrie said that was not an immediate concern.
The increase in violence without injury was almost the same as decrease in violence with injury, so Insp Ferrie speculated it represented a similar number of incidents but fewer people injured.
He said the number of people out in the town centre in the evenings at the weekend had reduced considerably.
Comment on this story
[board listing] [login] [register]
You must be logged in to post messages. (login now)